A walk in the Tower
by Raija Darknight
Summary: Ah, the beginning of Raija, who is a black robe, but will soon not be. She meets Nuitari. There is violence. I'm fixing it and writing a sequel
1. he's a what?

Raija Darknight, mage extraordinaire, looked at the Shoikan Grove, the accused trees that surrounded the Tower she was at several days ago, and felt another drop of fear fall into the overflowing pool. Her black hair and robes swung as she paced back and forth while Nightshade looked on curiously. "Just go in already," the giant rabbit said as Raija passed her for about the hundredth time.  
  
"I can't," Raija said petulantly.  
  
"Aww, Raija is scared." Nightshade sneered slightly. "He must've been pretty powerful to scare you, O ever calm master."  
  
" You weren't there, rabbit, so don't even start," Raija snapped." He was more powerful than all the wizards I've ever met put together. And it was eerie. Like pure evil just radiating off him."  
  
"Suure" was Nightshade's only reply. Raija's black eyes turned amber, a sure sign she was enraged. Without a word she grabbed Nightshade's ears and swung onto her back. Nightshade smirked as best as a rabbit can and bounded into the grove.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
  
After the usual unnerving trip, Raija was at the Tower of High Sorcery yet again. She noted the gates were open a crack and walked through as Nightshade bounded away. As she walked to the lowest level of the tower and started for the stairs she sensed a change in the magical levels in the air. When she turned, there was nothing. She climbed the stairs cautiously, looking around. When she finally reached the top the stood at the edge, looking at how high she was. A little warning pinged in her head, and she started to turn around. She was too late.  
  
A deadly, silent streak of green light zapped through her shoulder in a neat hole. Raija cried out and almost fell as she clutched her bleeding shoulder. Most of the wound was burned, so there wasn't that much blood. Still, she could see the blood dribbling down hundreds of feet to the hard floor beneath. As Raija was still trying to prevent herself from screaming, she was seized in a magical grip and held in the air in the middle of the tower. She swallowed hard. If she fell she was most certainly dead. Then she looked at the man who had attacked her, who had levitated in front of her.  
  
  She saw a man in a dark black robe, the same man she had seen two days ago. His face was still hidden under the hood of the robe.  
  
"Did I not tell you this place was forbidden?" His voice was calm, emotionless, which was scary. Raija swallowed slightly and came back with one of her usually replies, which came out strained due to the pain.  
  
"The gate was open, so I came in." The man leaned in close and Raija could feeling the icy power radiating from him.  
  
"You don't know who you're dealing with, young one. If you leave now and swear by , ah, your god never to return, I might let you go." There was a slight tone of amusement in his voice.  
  
Raija's eyes, which had returned to black, flashed amber once again. " No way! This place is open and quiet, and there's no signs or anything saying I can't come." She struggled against the magical grip around her. " You're not anyone who can tell me what to do!" The man laughed slightly, cold and mocking. He raised those hauntingly pale hands to his hood. He pulled it back in one swift movement, and Raija gasped, her eyes bugging out.  
  
The man's face was also white. His eyes were shadowed and slanted slightly, giving him a sly look. His hair was jet black, and in waves flowing to his mid-neck. His eyes had stars in them and looked like endless nights. He was extremely handsome in a scary way.  
  
Raija mouthed wordlessly and the man laughed, his eyes fixed on her. "Nothing to say, mage?" he asked, a slight smile curving his mouth. Raija made a sort of disbelieving gag. She had recognized him instantly even though she had never seen him. It was just so…obvious who he was. He was Nuitari, the god of dark magic. No wonder he was here. It was his tower. In a way anyway. I mean, until someone claimed it. But it was his right now. And…she was dead. Reaaaly dead.  
  
"Well, It's not like you introduced yourself or anything. You'd think you'd be more dramatic."  
  
Nuitari's eyes narrowed slightly. "I shouldn't have to. You are one of mine." His eyes narrowed further, his voice soft and icy. "Aren't you?"  
  
Raija, her usual recklessness taking over, rolled her eyes slightly. "Why else would I be wearing this? But I'm not 'yours'. I'm my own person. Individualism and all that."  
  
Nuitari's face was expressionless. "Wearing the black robes and using the magic means you are mine."  
  
"Well, I'm not!" Raija snarled. He was a god, but geez. It was obviously the Seishirou complex: people are objects.  
  
Nuitari sighed. "I hate it when people disagree with me." His eyes turned cold as they surveyed Raija, hanging in midair and trying to not be pained.  
  
"Well," Raija replied in a nonchalant tone, "I don't suppose many people do since you've got your mommy and daddy to protect you." There was a brief moment of crystalline stillness in the air, and the next second Raija was pinned to the opposite wall, with a dagger poised above one eye.  
  
"What was that?" asked Nuitari calmly.  
  
"I think you heard it pretty well," Raija replied, managing to grin and grimace at the same time. The dagger flashed in the tiniest of arcs, and the next thing Raija knew, she had a small but extremely painful gash across her cheek. She gasped and kicked out at Nuitari, catching him in the stomach. Smiling mirthlessly, he let go.  
  
Without his hold on her, however, Raija fell. Her hands grabbed at the wall and she managed to catch a crack.  
  
A bolt of lightning seared through her injured arm, in the exact place as the green light had. Raija screamed and let go one hand. She was now hanging by one hand above what seemed like millions of miles of air. She looked behind her into the merciless eyes of Nuitari. The gash on her cheek and her shoulder was not helpful. Not to mention she wasn't that strong.  
  
"That was unnecessary," Raija managed to say. Several tears dripped of her face. The wounds burned and ached unnaturally; it was all she could do to keep hanging on.  
  
Nuitari smiled again. "Oh, I don't know about that." Raija tried to hit him with her injured arm. It would have hit any other person. Even in her wounded condition, she was still fast. Nuitari, being a god, simply grabbed her arm, twisting it backward and inward. Raija gasped sharply as she felt her bones being twisted around. Nuitari pinned her arm, still twisted, against her back.  
  
His ice-cold fingers burned into her arm and back as she desperately tried to find foot and handholds to take the weight off her arm. "What's the matter, mage of mine?" Nuitari asked slyly. "Are you having trouble? Let me help you." He took a painfully hard grip on Raija's pinned arm and lifted her from the wall. Raija screamed as her full body weight was put upon her twisted and injured arm. "Don't worry, I'll make sure it doesn't break," Nuitari hissed. "That would take all the fun away." Raija made several gasping sobs. She was having trouble breathing. She managed, through the sobs, to snarl something in drow about his weakness.  
  
"Weakness? The pain must be confusing you. Allow me to demonstrate," Nuitari said as he traced a symbol in the air in front of Raija with one hand, the other hand still grasping her hand. The symbol, completed, hung in the air, flaming orange. Raija, recognizing it, started struggling and kicking wildly. The pain in her arm soon became too much and she slumped weakly back against Nuitari, who smiled slightly and let the tension build.  
  
Raija turned her head as if about to sob and bit into his shoulder. Nuitari sighed slightly, flared his magic so it sent a jolt through her body, and whispered a word. The sign flared brightly, and then disappeared. It reappeared on Raija's forehead. It hung for a second, and then disappeared. Raija stiffened in Nuitari's hold. She thrashed around, screaming and shrieking as the head flared through her body. Blood ran from her nose and mouth. Nuitari floated back over to the overlook where Raija had been standing just before he'd attacked her.  
  
He tightened his grip so hard one of Raija's wrists snapped. Annoyed at the screams, Nuitari cast a temporary silence spell on her. He then dropped her in a heap on the floor. Raija collapsed, mouthing soundlessly as the pain from all her wounds flooded her body. Everything was hurting more than she could have imagined. Nuitari reached down and grabbed her right hand. He pressed the tips of his fingers lightly into it. Raija kicked out viciously at him as he did. By dumb luck, she hit him in the leg. He tripped and fell on Raija. Ignoring this, continued to press his fingers into her hand. Finally he took his fingers away. He grabbed her hand and turned her to face him, one knee in her stomach, the other on the floor. Eyes red and teary, Raija gazed upward at her hand.  
  
There were five black marks on it. It looked like a small handprint. Or it might be the outline of a star. It burned and seared at first. Then the pain faded and the black fingerprints were left on Raija's palm, the swirls and whorls clearly visible. Nuitari remained in that position for a minute, smiling down at her. Raija grimaced, her head clearing a little. He was waaay too close. Then he stood up and dragged Raija to the edge with a spell. Raija tried to stand up, but as she did, Nuitari kicked her, sending her over the edge.  
  
  
  
Raija shot out her right arm and grabbed onto the edge. She was amazed she could still hold on after all that. Nuitari smiled at her and spoke one word, pointing at her hand. "Nuitari". Raija, her eyes watering with pain and strain, blinked at him in confusion. The next instant, a sharp pain shot through her hand as the five black fingerprints burned with a fierce pain. Raija gasped but held on. Nuitari just stood there as the pain got worse and worse.  
  
Finally, with a cry that no one heard, Raija fell. Nuitari waited until Raija was almost at the bottom, then stretched out his hand. Raija disappeared to her home. She would find her wounds slowly healing when she got there. In fact, she'd probably be well in several weeks. Nuitari smiled at this amusing toy and continued his gliding walk, guarding his tower. 


	2. first impressions

Raija Darknight stood in the Tower of High Sorcery, going through books. She had come here for fun, being rather bored. And the trip getting here had certainly been fun, if not slightly dangerous. Her evil rabbit Nightshade had bounded through the grove with some ease and let her off at the front. She had somehow avoided all the things in the grove and the gates had been miraculously open. Well, if you counted sneaking in through the large gaps 'open'.  
  
The guardians were a bother though. They continually came up and started talking about the master of past and present and tried to kill her. Then she had to bring out the blue holy water she had borrowed from someone.  
  
She stifled a yawn. The spellbooks really were boring. True, they did have immensely powerful spells, but she could only perform a few. She looked at the nightjewel on her necklace, which had been enchanted to look to tell what time it was, along with other magical properties. It would flash when enemies were nearby, and would also show who they were and their purpose.  
  
Looking at it, Raija could tell it was noon, and stretched. She put down the book in the exact place she had found it and exited the room.  
  
Raija carelessly walked to the stairway, then jumped off the edge of the stairs. Remembering, she grabbed the ledge with both hands, almost dislocating her shoulders. Smart person that she was, she hadn't remembered the rules here. Until The master of past and present came, the magic of the tower stifled other magics that were not evil. Or something like that anyway. So Raija, trying to remember to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, hung and attempted not to panic.  
  
Her arms, which were cramped ffrom holding books in one position, couldn't take the strain. Her fingers slid over the edge, ever so slowly. Then, with a quick movement, they let go altogether. Raija, her eyes bulging, fell.  
  
Or almost did. Raija, who was just about to bust a lung screaming, felt cold fingers grab onto her hand, jerking her to a stop. She saw a man in a black robe, almost blending in with the dark stone. His hood was low over his head, and she could see any of his face, not even a tint of skin. Raija grinned hopefully, though he didn't look very cheerful. Still, he had just saved her life. "Hi there…I'm Raija." No last name, not until she knew a bity bit about him. "Thanks for saving me. Out of idle curiousity, how'd you get in here?" Don't ask for the name, people got killed like that.  
  
The man stood there, perfectly still. His voice, when he spoke, was cold, sibilant, and naturally menacing. "It is not your business to know. You should leave now; none are permitted to be here yet."  
  
Raija nodded and rolled her eyes very slightly. She'd heard it all before with the guardians. The truth was, she'd only gotten in because Nightshade, the giant evil rabbit that was her constant companion and steed, was born in the Shoikan Grove. So they'd gotten past most of the hands and trees, and she wasn't going to just leave.  
  
She started to explain, but the man held up a hand. Raija could swear she felt his gaze on her. It was almost painful, but she still couldn't see his eyes.  
  
Raija, who never gave up, opened her mouth to protest. The man spoke a word that Raija remembered briefly from one of the dusty old spellbooks upstairs. She quickly cast a shield spell, but either she was too slow or the magic too powerful; she didn't know. In an instant, she was caught in a whirlwind of magic.  
  
The magic slammed her against the wall. Raija managed to stop her head from being hit by guarding it with her hands. Fighting the pain, she reached into her pouches and threw a handful of dandelion seeds at the man. They sped toward him, born on an unfelt wind. The man held up a hand. It was pale, almost blinding in the darkness.  
  
The seeds stopped. They hung in the air mockingly, then sped toward Raija. Never one to panic, Raija did the best she could and ran. The seeds caught her up and surrounded her, forming an enormous puffball. Raija cautiously reached for her spell components, though she knew what would happen. Blue jolts of electricity shot out of the ends of the seeds and she was shocked about a million times. True, the beams were weak, but when you put so many together like that... She gasped and fell to the ground, getting shocked again and again as she moved.  
  
The man above watched until he saw she would soon be too weak to stand. Then he waved his hand toward the seeds and they disappeared. " Go now," he said to Raija. "And be grateful. I rarely waste this much off my time with you lower ones." He gestured toward the exit with a sharp gesture that clearly showed his impatience. Raija, grumbling and nursing a hand, decided that she was probably better leaving this to another time. When she was better prepared. She walked down the stairs quickly, not looking back. You never look back.  
  
Raija took the Nightjewel around her neck and blew over it softly as she stood in the doorway. A rushing breeze spread through the Skoikan Grove, and Nightshade appeared. "Well, well, see your still partially alive," Nightshade said sarcastically.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it now," said Raija walking with difficulty to the Nightshade's side. She got on the rabbits back and they hopped out of the Shoikan Grove. Just as they were at the closing ring, all the trees rustled again. To Raija it seemed like a warning, and a farewell. 


	3. 3rd times a charm

Raija looked at the darkness in the Tower of High Sorcery. It was madness to come again, but she couldn't be a coward. Not coming back would mean she was scared of Nuitari and she couldn't have that. Even though she was scared of him and, given his status, it was perfectly reasonable to be scared of him. But that wasn't the point!  
  
She looked at Nightshade who, for the first time, was looking concerned. "Don't go in Raija," said her bunny. "You might not come out this time." Raija threw up her head and made confident noises.  
  
"I've got to. I've got my pride, you know."  
  
Nightshade shook her head grimly. "Stop being so stupid! And you know very well you have no pride."  
  
Raija squirmed. "Well.yeah.but.um.he will! Yes, that's right!"  
  
Nightshade looked at her, then broke into an uncharacteristic grin. "You want to see him, don't you?" The rabbit burst into laughter at Raija's glare. "Yes, you do! You're a masochist! HAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHA!"  
  
"Hey! I am not a masochist. It's just my pride! Which has appeared.oh dammit, stop laughing!" Raija stomped the ground and waited for Nightshade to stop laughing so they could get going.  
  
  
  
She stepped in and immediately a black wall covered the entrance. Nuitari stood in front of her, smiling in a not so pleasant way. "Back again, I see. Wasn't last time painful enough for you?"  
  
Raija shrugged. "I've had worse." She knew it was a mistake as soon as it came out.  
  
Nuitari smiled a slow smile. "I'll change that." Raija grimaced. "Damn. After this is over, remind me to keep my mouth shut."  
  
Nuitari shook his head pityingly. Raija flicked her eyes warily at him, looking for an opening that she knew she wouldn't find. She and Nuitari started at each other for a bit, sizing each other up. Raija's hand darted out and a black dagger edged with silver wire buried itself in Nuitari's chest. He looked at it, smiled, pulled it out with two fingers. Raija cursed under her breath. "Pathetic. That's your best?" Raija had no time to answer.  
  
Her own dagger zinged through the air. Raija threw herself to the side, rolling, but the dagger raced after her. She stumbled to her feet and dodged again as it swerved. She continued doing this while thinking of a spell. She paused for a second and the dagger grazed through her shoulder. Raija, eyes wild, extended a finger, pointing at the dagger that was slicing toward her again. " Lightening!" Raija's magic was different than most, as she drained magic from the air rather than from herself.  
  
A bolt of lighting shot out of her finger, hitting the knife and melting it. "I love-ed you knife! Waaaaaaah!". She paused, panting slightly as she tried to catch her breath. Suddenly her senses alerted her and she dodged to the right. It was too late. She was caught in a black ball of dark magic.  
  
  
  
Nuitari smiled at her from the outside of it. "First lesson, never turn your back on an enemy.or me."  
  
"I'm sorry. I had the mistaken impression they were one and the same. Silly me, huh?!"  
  
Raija gritted her teeth and hurled herself at the wall of her prison. She rebounded with a zap and a jolt. Nuitari extended his hand toward the ceiling and the black ball went hurtling up. Raija's eyes widened as the ceiling got closer and closer. Then the ball hit the ceiling. It immediately went hurtling back down. Raija cried out as she received a really bad case of whiplash. The ball slammed into the floor and back up again. Raija curled into a little ball and protected her head. The ball headed toward the ceiling, then dissolved.  
  
Raija gasped and quickly cast a spell. "Steel!" A steel bar popped out of nowhere and Raija grabbed it, swinging her legs up and sitting astride it. She looked down at Nuitari and discovered he was no longer there. She looked behind her and saw him. He smiled with a strange light in his eyes. They hung there, suspended, unmoving as they glared or smiled at each other. Raija and Nuitari respectively. Then Nuitari made a fast movement and he was suddenly holding Raija's left hand in a tight grasp. His hands were very, very cold.  
  
Raija grimaced and yanked on her hand but achieved nothing. Nuitari continued holding her hand, watching with slight interest as it grew paler and paler. He finally looked up at Raija, noticing her pain-filled face and her attempts to get her hand back.. A look of mocking pity crossed his face as he looked back at her ice-cold hand. He gestured toward her hand with his free hand and instantly Raija's hand was back to normal, and warm and alive.  
  
Raija scowled. "If you did that just to make it more painful when you do something else to it, why don't you just change it back?"  
  
Nuitari raised a delicate eyebrow. "Now Raija, what gave you that idea?" He raised his hand as Raija opened her mouth to speak. "It's true, of course, but even so.." Raija flinched at the implications but she said nothing, stilled, as Nuitari produced a dagger and began tracing her hand with it. The dagger was a beautiful thing. It was a glistening black, smooth and hard and unbreakable. It was long and slender and had a hilt that appeared to be crafted to his hand. It was the sort of dagger Raija had tried to make, but had ended up with a misshapen lump of metal. It was razor sharp. It was also very cold.  
  
Nuitari glanced up at Raija as he stroked her hand with the dagger, smiling at her flinching. "Relax, mortal. I probably won't kill you, if that's what you're worrying about."  
  
Raija made a face. "How on Krynn can I 'relax when I am five million feet in the air, sitting on one bar, with a god who is evil and has a knife?"  
  
Nuitari shrugged slightly. "Might as well try." Raija sneered very slightly.  
  
"Like to see you try." Nuitari raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who came back." Raija spat at him angrily, wishing she didn't have to. She hated spitting at people. Filthy habit, really. Nuitari calmly raised the hand with the knife and wiped the spit off his pale face. He watched the light turn on the blade for a moment, and then brought it down fast into Raija's hand.  
  
He did it so skillfully it just penetrated the skin, letting a small trickle of blood well up. It still hurt more than it should have; the dagger probably had something to do with it. Raija let out a yell, but had the good sense to try to keep still.  
  
"Pain is such an interesting thing, don't you think? I wouldn't know, as I've never felt it." He began to twist the point of the blade in her flesh, opening the wound. The blood trickled out and the blade absorbed it. Raija tried frantically to get her hand free, but to no avail. Every time she moved, Nuitari dug the blade deeper. Finally Raija stopped moving and tried to hold her hand still. Still, she couldn't stop the shaking.  
  
Nuitari stopped and smiled gently at her. Raija was squinting and making faces at the pain. Nuitari pulled the dagger out and it vanished. He then gestured to the bar and it suddenly also vanished. Raija dropped, and found herself dangling over a stone floor a million miles below, held only by Nuitari's hand on hers. He looked coldly down at her. "You're so weak. I'm amazed you've lived this long." He let two of her fingers slip slightly out of his hand. Raija panicked and clung on tighter. "But you are entertaining, and that is why I am letting you live."  
  
Raija stuck out her tongue. "Oh, I'm so grateful. I'll sing-ow-a thousand songs in praise, I'm sure."  
  
Nuitari smirked and inclined his head mockingly. "My. Pleasure." He looked really disturbing.  
  
He floated back over to the steps and dropped Raija down on it. He stood on the floor, about a foot from her, looking down. She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I know it's pointless to ask, but why do you keep on torturing me?"  
  
Nuitari shrugged an impossibly small shrug. "Your pain, my pleasure, if you can call it that. You mortals are dull, but you have your uses. I rarely get to see such raw emotion as the fear and anguish that cover your face up in what you mortals call the celestial plane." Raija looked at him.  
  
"Other people feel pain."  
  
"Yes, but you're much more fun. " Raija's eye twitched.  
  
Nuitari looked at her, an almost fond smile crossing his face. "I thought perhaps you'd like a change of scenery." Raija blinked at the change of subject. "so I'm sending you to a random world. Consider it a gift."  
  
"But? What? I don't want it to be a gift!.and I don't wanna go!"  
  
Nuitari smiled, stepping even closer. He raised a pale hand, caressing her cheek. Raija raised her eyebrows at him, then went stiff as a shower of silver streaks shot into her from his hand. She gasped as every nerve lit on fire, then went limp.  
  
Nuitari stood over her, looking down at her limp form. Then he took out a small scroll and read the arcane words. A portal of blue and black opened in the floor. With one swift movement, he kicked Raija into it. Her body hung in the air, then vanished into the next world. He smiled. She was interesting, though pathetically weak and fragile. At least she hadn't broken down and begged like so many others would have done. He closed the portal with a wave of his hand, then vanished, leaving a small whisp of black smoke to curl up from the now empty tower. 


	4. banishment

Raija landed with a painful thumping noise. She opened her eyes and looked around. Sunlight filtered in through a canopy of leaves. She sat up quickly looking around.  
  
"Owwwww! Arm! Head! Black and red dot things!" She swayed slightly, then leaned against the tree, feeling the rough wood through her newly changed clothes. "My robes are gone! Damn. I paid a lot for the special embroidering!" A quick glance at her body showed she was almost completely healed. Puzzled but gratified, she stood. Where was she?  
  
About ten minutes of walking took her to a street. "Oh damn, it's Earth. Of all the places." Nothing was wrong with Earth.it just wasn't Krynn. She shrugged, then dragged her fingers down through the air, reaching for the blip of power that allowed her to teleport home. There was other blips, yes, but no Krynn. "Vith! I'm frickin' stranded!" She shrugged again, and walked down the street. She had magic, and money, and.other stuff. She'd survive, and find a way to get somewhere. Whatever. 


End file.
